My name is Michele D. (Erickson) Sommers, and I live in Front Royal, Virginia. I am an artist who does murals, portraits, calligraphy and original works on pretty much any surface, including canvas, velvet and even some animal skulls. If it sits still long enough, I'll paint it! I am willing to travel, and of course works on canvas can be shipped anywhere. My email address is Michele@sommersend.com, or give me a call at 540-635-6824 (Please leave a message, I'm often on-site, painting somewhere). You can also find me on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/sommersend

Please feel free to take a look around. Check back often, as I will be adding images over time, and as new projects are completed. Thank you for stopping by!

I've been working on several of the Ford's Fish Shack locations... newest location just opened in Leesburg VA!

If you see something that interests you, please feel free to contact me, no obligation.
Prints can be made if you are interested, just let me know. I use Fine Art America to process my prints on a variety of surfaces.

I have some older paintings on the Works in Progress page, if you want to see the stages of some of my previous ones...

I have a fan page on Facebook, where I try to post my most recent work. Feel free to check it out! www.facebook.com/sommersend

Links

My Favorite Links

Things To Do

Michele D (Erickson) Sommers lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her Husband Arthur, various cats, a horse and many fish (kind of light on the pets these days, but with travel, it's for the best). Her inspiration comes from nature and animals, which she enjoys incorporating into her work whenever possible. Feel free to browse her website, and sign her guestbook while you're here. Check her Facebook page often (www.facebook.com/sommersend), as she does try to keep the page updated with new projects!

My latest surface is one I have avoided at all costs... Automotive! The saving grace was that this is our car (we are the proud owners of not one, but TWO Mustangs!),

and the spoiler was ruined anyway, so hubby agreed to let me "play" with it... Before and after:

And since MY Mustang was lonely, I found her a friend:

Then, hubby wanted a mascot, too...

VELVET, BABY!

Another unusual surface to paint on... VELVET! Nope, no Elvis here, just this Wicked Tiger! Thanks to One Wicked Gallery in Wilmington NC for inspiring me to enter this piece in their Velvet Show this month (Feb 2011)

WICKED TIGER, acrylic on velvet (SOLD)

VELVET LION acrylic on velvet (sold)

One of my more recent surfaces; deer skulls. I do these custom, on a commission basis, with skulls provided by you. Something a little different for your trophy wall,
and more affordable than a full mount. More information on the Painted Skulls page...

I was sponsored by Gourmet Delights Gifts and Framing to paint a paddle (see the overview and other side) for a river awareness event (external link) in Front Royal several years ago. I won First Place in the Adult Division of the "On the River" paddle contest! (www.canoecapital.org)

3D Painting done on PVC panels, cut out and attached to give it a 3 dimensional look.

Ford's Fish Shack, Ashburn VADetail of large mural in a fantastic seafood restaurant, (the first of three locations so far...) after some additions this past summer... The mural changes, pay attention or you might miss something!

Ford's Fish Shack, South Riding (2012)

Second location in the Ford's Trilogy, South Riding Plaza in Chantilly...

Ford's Fish Shack, Leesburg (2017)

The third installment for the Ford's Restaurants, Lansdowne in Leesburg VA. Not much in the way of flat walls at this location for a traditional mural (though we managed to sneak one in), but there was LOTS OF BRICK that needed freshening up in the way of a gray base coat with some white drybrushing to add some weathered appeal :)